Barefoot in Bora Bora
For my first official blog post it would only be appropriate to discuss something I loveee to do, which is travel the world, and visit fabulous places. Going through some photos of a few places my husband and I have traveled to, it seemed fitting to blog about the amazingly beautiful Four Seasons, Bora Bora.
Bora Bora had been on my bucket list for so long, and I was really fortunate to be able to celebrate my first wedding anniversary at this magical island. The Four Seasons Bora Bora is definitely a luxury resort, and it is one of those once in a lifetime experiences you’d save up for, or save a really special occasion for! The majority of the tourists on this island are honeymooners, babymooners, wedding parties, and those celebrating an anniversary.
This serene tropical island was everything and more! Photos really do no justice for the beautiful Bora Bora. If you’re ever wondering if travel agents or resort have their photos overwhelmingly photoshopped, fear not! The screensaver worthy photos are a true reality and makes this perfect little island PARADISE!
HOW WE GOT THERE:
For any of you who have looked into planning a trip to Bora Bora, you may have realized that flights are not cheap! I live in Los Angeles, and a non-stop flight to Tahiti (Papeete Airport) was about $1,500 (if booked within a reasonable time frame.) Note to travelers: you cannot just take a non-stop flight to Bora Bora. In order to get to Bora Bora, you would need to fly into the main island of Tahiti, and from there you’d take a short flight to Bora Bora. I do want to note that for us personally, we wanted to see more of Tahiti so my husband and I also travelled to Moorea (stay tuned for another blog post) so if you are considering traveling all the way to Tahiti, I would recommend exploring other islands.
WHERE WE STAYED
If you’re lucky and able enough to score accommodations at the Four Seasons like we did, make sure to splurge a little more and stay in an overwater bungalow. I think we can all attest to the fact that Tahiti is really known for the overwater bungalow feature, and to get the full experience I would highly HIGHLY recommend it! Having your own private hut/villa on the water was definitely a one of a kind experience for us. The bungalows at the Four Seasons were large, and beautifully designed, staying true to its Tahitian style. I would also note that the service at this hotel was unparalleled. In all of our travels I have never experienced such first class service. The staff makes it a point to learn the names of all guests, and if you’re worried about the long walks to and from your bungalow, have no worries, you have a private golf cart picking you up, and dropping you off every time you need to leave your bungalow!
HOW WE GOT AROUND
If you’re spending the kind of money to visit the Four Seasons Bora Bora, you won’t be leaving the resort much! Let me give you a quick breakdown of the makeup of this island. Each resort on Bora Bora is on its own Motu (private mini island.) When you get to the airport, each resort picks up their guests on their private boats, and escorts them to their private mini island. So once you do get to your resort, there isn't much site seeing going on on this island. All activities you’d participate in are at your resort or organized by your resort. If you’re into water sports or any excursion involving water, then this would be your opportunity to leave your resort (by boat or by whomever you’ve booked to come pick you up.) I do, also want to note that we did leave our resort once to go have dinner at the famous Bloody Mary’s. Other than that, get ready to unpack and relax!
WHAT WE DID
Some people call the island of Bora Bora, Boring Boring. If you’re into constantly being out and about, visiting historical sites and museums, then this isn’t the vacation for you! If you’re looking for the ultimate R&R, you’ll love Bora Bora and everything it has to offer. And with that said, we enjoyed our time participating in various different activities. The Four Seasons offers Yoga by the pool, and we had so much fun with this! The property has tennis courts with great quality equipment so we got in a few games of tennis. (Had to burn off the amazing food!) The resort also has it’s own snorkeling sanctuary, so we made it a point to explore that part of the hotel as well. The pool at this resort was simple and chic! This is where I got all my yummy coconut cocktails! We did end up relaxing at the pool and beach quite often! My husband and I also took a jet ski tour around the entire island which was a wonderful experience! (Organized through our hotel). Also, it wouldn’t be a proper anniversary trip if we didn’t get a massage. This resort was by far one the best, in terms of spa amenities! WOW. If you visit the Four Seasons make sure to make a reservation at the spa. And I saved the best for last!!! If you do go to Bora Bora, regardless of where you stay, make sure to book the Sting Ray & Shark excursion. I would have to say that this was a highlight of our trip. We actually got to swim with sting rays and sharks, and it was completely worth it!
WHERE WE ATE
The food in Tahiti is quite delicious. If you have traveled to Hawaii and ate polynesian cuisine, I would say it would be the closest comparison to Tahitian food. (Lots of fruit and BBQ!) Our resort had four deliciously amazing restaurants. We made it a point to dine at all of them. Just like the accommodations the food at the restaurants were on the expensive side, but again, if you’re staying at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, this is expected. Breakfasts here were done just right with so many options at the buffet. Although I would say this wasn’t the best buffet breakfast I have had, they still offered all the essentials such as waffles, pancakes, meats and cheeses, fresh fruits and juices, and eggs any which way you’d like them! My husband and I are sushi fanatics and being so far away from home we were worried we wouldn’t have some amazing sushi, but surprisingly the Four Seasons did not fail and they had a delicious sushi restaurant! As mentioned before the hubby and I did want to participate in one island outing so we saved that for dinner. Our choices were between Jean Georges at the St. Regis or the famous Bloody Mary's across the island. Since we've dined at Jean Georges a couple of times in other cities, we decided to head across town! It was definitely a nice experience! You're not going to get that fine dining feeling here, but it's such a gem the island takes pride in, and I'm happy we got to try it out!
If you have any other questions on something I missed please feel free to ask them in the comments box!
